Sustaining Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman (Rosaceae), a CITES listing tree species in the Teza Forest, Kibira National Park, Burundi

Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman (Rosaceae)/Pygeum or African cherry is a mountain tree species of the tropical Africa. Prunus bark is exported dried, chipped or powdered to USA and Europe to produce an extract used to treat benign prostrate hyperplasia. The plant is considered as vulnerable and is listed in appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). This paper aims to estimate the average mass of mature stems of that tree species as a tool for establishing its non-detriment findings in Burundi. The study was carried out in July 2013 in a production forest of 2 800 ha found in the Teza sector, in the south of the Kibira National Park. Stem barks were gathered from a total of 36 mature trees of Prunus africana with diameter at breast height of more than 30 cm, known as mature trees. The harvesting of the barks was done according to the recommended sustainable technic which is, “for all trees above 30 cm DBH, only two quarters of the bark are taken from the main stem up to the first branch”. The average mass of the fresh bark of a Prunus mature tree is 47.0 kg. The quantity of the dried bark estimated to be harvested in sustainable manner each year in the Teza sector is 24.8 tons/year. This is known as the annual quota. If Burundi authorities agree to allow the exploitation of Prunus barks in the Kibira Park, the National Institute for the Environment and the Conservation of Nature (INECN), which is in charge of the management of protected areas in Burundi, can yield about 426 155.7 – 497 181.7 USD/year. And these funds can be used to enhance the strategy of conservation settled within the “Parks for Peace Project” in the Kibira national park.    Key words: Prunus Africana, Kibira National Park, mass, sustainable technic, annual quota, Burundi, CITES.